Saturday, June 24th 2017, for the eighth time the biggest CrossFit Team competition (2016: 449 Teams/ 1796 athletes!) in the german speaking part of Europe will take place, the Swiss Team CHallenge. The event is been organised by CrossFit Basel and CrossFit Leman.

Every CrossFit box in Switzerland builds teams, which compete in two categories /Regulars and Firebreathers) in the according affiliates. The results will be broadcasted LIVE online and evaluated. The teams consist of 4 members – every team includes at least one female and at least one male athlete.

The teams compete in several events, which will be published ahead of the event with the respective standard videos.

The workouts are created for everyone – EVERYONE. We want as many athletes as possible to be part of the competition, no matter what level. Firebreather athletes master 80% of the given exercises on the Whiteboard, Regular athletes will absolve the scaled version of the workouts. So, again: EVERYONE can participate, all you need is a team and great motivation!!

The Swiss Team CHallenge is the biggest event in our box and we hope that no one misses out on it! It’s an exceptional experience to be part of it as an athlete. We promise a spectacular day with tons of sweat, primal screams, a fantastic CrossFit Community, party and good food. Be there, it’s a MUST!

If you would like to support us as a helper or Judge, please email us at: sarah@crossfitbasel.ch. Thank you so much in advance!

Please enrol you and your teammates on the STCH-posters at the Box.

We offer space for 48 teams – first come, first served!

For the second time in the history of this event, teams from outside of Switzerland are allowed to take part in the official ranking of the competition as long as they compete in a Swiss box. They can enrol via mail (see below).

The WODs and STANDARDS will be published ahead of the competition. Amongst others you can find them also on the official Facebookpage:

IMPORTANT – TEAM CAPTAIN: Every team has a Captain (first athlete on the poster), who is responsible for al the team members to know the exercises, the program of the event and the standards! PLUS, he/she must email at sarah@crossfitbasel.ch all the names, email addresses and shirt sizes of the athletes.

JUDGES: We are looking for Judges – please email us at: sarah@crossfitbasel.ch. You can be a competitor AND a judge. The Judges Meeting takes place on Monday, June 19 from 8pm to 10pm at the Dreispitz Box.

You may also come to watch and cheer! The more support and motivation our teams can get, the better.

COSTS: 55.- CHF/EUR per person (exclusive discounts but including the official athlete shirt).

CLOTHING: All events are held inside, no outdoor clothing needed.

REGISTRATION: List your names on the posters at the box.

ALL CAPTAINS: EMail which includes the name of the team, all participants (first – and last name), shirt sizes and email addresses at sarah@crossfitbasel.ch

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 29th 2017

We’re looking forward to an unforgettable competition – now scroll up and check the recap of our Swiss Team CHallenges from the last years!

This year, for the first time, you qualified for the Regionals and placed 23th overall. How was your feeling after getting the confirmation mail from CF HQ.

Before the Opens started, I set my goals together with Tom and we agreed, that I will approach this year’s Opens without any pressure and as relaxed as possible – and after that will start preparing strategically for the Regionals 2018. This also, because I will be finished with my studies this year and would be free from the dual burden of competing and studying by next year. The plan was set, I wanted to absolve the Opens as rested and as focused as possible. First attempt on Friday, second attempt on Monday. This way, I could analyse the pacing and the transitions first, and then go all out with a smart strategy on Monday. After 17.4 I was still placed top 30 and I realised that there is in fact a chance to qualify already this year! Of course I started to feel the pressure but I managed to handle it and stay consistent with my performance.

I didn’t expect at all to make it this year – even more do I feel happy and proud for what I achieved a year before my actual goal deadline. A big fat thank you at this point to Tom who supported me throughout all my career so far, always encouraged me and never – never- stopped believing in me.

First workout with DB Snatches and Burpee Boxjumps was pretty challenging, but you finished strong (11:41). What’s the most brutal MetCon you’ve done so far?

The worst workout for me so far in my CrossFit carreer was definitely the sandbag run at last year’s Are You Tough Enough. The first day of the comp didn’t go as planned and I knew that the run would be my chance to make up for that. With that thought in mind I ran up the hill with the sandbag in my backpack as if there was no tomorrow. Once I reached the finish line, I felt worse than I have felt in a long time. Eating the gulasch afterwards didn’t make things any better and I needed a rest! 😀

Before I started CrossFit I had been doing Taekwondo for 12 years on a high maintenance level. I competed in many fights and absolved the second Dan (black belt). After a serious injury which incurred at a kader training, I had to take a long break. That was extremely difficult for me to cope with and I lost all my motivation. My older sister Jael and my twin brother Benaja who already have been doing CrossFit, encouraged me to give it a try.

With the first Intro training I was hooked and started to train twice a week at the box. The next 6 moths I trained daily Taekwondo, plus did twice a week CrossFit. At this point I competed in the weight category -57kg which didn’t allow me to lift heavy weights yet, though I performed very strong in conditioning. I kept up with the consistency and made big progress with skills, strength and the metcons.

Up until today I am fascinated by what my body is capable of. Additionally, I love the variety which CrossFit offers.

Tom then offered me to coach me in Olympic Weightlifting. We started to train together, he became my personal coach and one day I was faster in the metcons than him J

He taught me all I needed to learn, pushed me on my bad days and still today, I can still learn so much from his ‘Coaching Eye’.

Eventually, I skipped Taekwondo trainings in in favour of CrossFit, where I invested a lot of time, discipline and effort. Ultimately, I made the decision to stay with CrossFit for good.My love for Taekwondo hasn’t lessened though and I still fight once in a while with my twin brother 🙂

You’re a student of sports science and work as a CrossFit Coach. How does your daily life and weekly training schedule look like?

My daily life is pretty simpleJ Training, studying, coaching, eating, sleeping, repeat. J Currently I follow TheTrainingPlan with individual adaptions by headcoach Ramon Gysin. With this program I do two units a day. I include one full restday a week and one active restday. I plan my sessions around my job as a coach and the university. This means, that sometimes the first session starts at 5:45am.

What about nutrition and recovery? Do you stick to any „special diet“ or plan?

Nutrition and recovery are central and very important factors of my training. At the moment I follow RP – Renaissance Periodization – this nutrition program ensures that I eat enough and that my timing is right. Compared to some of the other CrossFit athletes I am a skinny bitch and really just have to make sure that I eat enough to support my body in my intense training and the additional activities I do in my studies.

As for the recovery, I stick to a daily RomWOD routine, use the blackroll and Compex regularly, do my stretches and breathing exercises. Of course I go to bed at a reasonable time to get my eight hours of sleep in – sleep is crucial to tackle the next successful training day.

Would you tell us something about your dreams, goals and plans for the future?

At the moment, I live my dream. I am surrounded by amazing people, I live my passion, do what I love and work as a coach at CrossFit Basel which makes me happy. I definitely want to set new goals in my career as an athlete – I am very curious on what the future brings!

Thank you Alessia for taking your time to speak to us! The CFBS-Team stands behind you! Good luck, stay strong and safe!

The Crossfit Opens: every year, these five weeks stir up mixed emotions. A cocktail of expectancy, high hopes, impatience and joy mixed with apprehension, respect and maybe a pinch of fear.

The Open 2017 ended with 17.5. A nasty 40 minutes-timecap workout.

10 rounds for time of:

9 thrusters

35 double-unders

men 95lb. women 65lb.

Looks simple and „easy“ but it was a real mindf**k. A nice grueling finisher after 5 weeks of pure CrossFit. „Constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity.“

Some people are happy that it’s over. Sleepless thursday-nights before the workout-announcement. The fear for Burpees and Thrusters…sore muscles and painfaces all over the place.

But as tough it was, it was also a great time to grow as a person and as a community. We had 117 CFBS-Athletes who signed up for the Open 2017 and were able to beat last year´s numbers! Great work peeps! The team spirit was awesome and it was beautiful to see how you guys are helping each other out by cheering and offering support. That’s what those times are about. Growing stronger – physically and physiologically as a human.

This year the Open showed the direction how the sport is developing. Weights and skills are getting „heavier“. More people chose the scaled variation. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s just an option to make the experience possible for more people. It is also showing us that almost nothing is impossible and that there’s always a way to improve and „get better than yesterday“.

Now some numbers and final performance analysis:

This is copied straight from the CrossFit Games Open Rule book:

„The team Leaderboard is unofficial and subject to change until all Individual athletes have completed the video review process and either accepted or rejected their invitation to compete at regionals.“

The following leaderboard is just provisionally.

Rankings so far in Region Europe:

Consistent performance. But to less „men“-power to reach a regional-spot. We keep on working!

But another proof that we are doing a great job to bring up new athletes shows us our CFBS-Top Ten Leaderboard:

and the CF Downtown-Top Ten:

Joel is overall No.1 at CrossFit Basel. Tom second and Sascha third. Our girls continued their hard work and top performance from last year: Alessia is first, Nora second and Katrin on third place.

That means -we just can’t hold it. We’re still waiting for the confirmation…but:

Alessia qualified for the Meridian Regionals! All your hard and dedicated work pays off girl! You rock!

FINAL standings of CrossFit Basel and CrossFit Basel Downtowns internal Open competition:

Damn. It was really close and tough battle but in the end Team Outlaw made it!

The Team-Spirit and support was outstanding and we have to thank you for the show, the entertainment and the box-decoration… Sloth Love for life! <3

Team Bomb Squad convinced with high quality merchandise- and event-organization. A lot of respect to „D.B. the captain“ and her team! Unfortunately in the end they missed some points due to injuries and sickness but it was an awesome effort guys! Your cohesion and spirit was remarkable!

The Bully Buddies can celebrate a fantastic 3rd place. For Tiziano it was his first time acting as a captain and he did a great job leading and taking care about his team. He also set a good example regarding suffering through the workouts….

Cheers to Team Wod-Nit. Strong 4th place! They already celebrated the top ranking of Capt’n Nicole with a sightseeing tour at the Feldschlößchen-Brauerei. …not sure if there‘ a relation between the hop beverage and the pictures of Flo. (Just kidding! 😉 )

Team Hoff rules under the slogan „understatement for the win“ and just enjoyed life and had a good time at the competition floor and above the roofs of Basel….

Keep up the great work folks!

We finished the five weeks and the sunny day with a nice „Hello spring“- BBQ and looking forward to the next events with you all! Thank you guys!

Thanks to Gee-Jay, Mike, Alice, Michaela, Lorenz (Team Outlaw), Döne, Team Tizi, Nico and everyone who made pictures, helped with the organization and to „make it great again“!

Take a look for more and stay tuned for more news and infos towards CFBS @ MERIDIAN REGIONALS!

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Some „deep thoughts“ at the end:

The Opens to us is a way of showing what you are made of: during as well as after your workout. It is pushing yourself further than you would have thought, it is forcing your body to the limit and then crossing it, it is collapsing in a pool of sweat, pain and relief after the last rep or when the clock finally buzzes. It is entering the pain-zone and coming out whole. It is hating every minute but pulling through anyway, it is being so focused the only thing you are able to hear is the voice of your judge, urging you to keep going. The Opens is members spending time to judge people they only just met and building new friendships. It’s becoming part of the Community by not solely consuming but participating, by becoming involved and thus creating a living and breathing atmosphere anyone felt included in when stepping into the box. The Opens is coaches and staff volunteering their free weekends to judge and coach and plan and organize the heats. It’s athletes staying until 10pm on a Monday night just to support the last person doing the workout. It is members choosing to do the workouts RX’d even if it meant less reps or more work and greater effort and a whole lot of frustration. The Opens is when an athlete shakes their head to the judge saying “that was not a rep, it doesn’t count”. The Opens is people sprinting to their sportsbag to grab a bottle, or tape, or their rope for someone they never spoke to beforehand but saw them struggle during the workout.

If there is any message we wish you to learn from the past weeks it is the following: hard work pays off. Every year you can test yourself, but there is no reason to wait for one entire year to push yourself again. Keep working hard, stay focused, help your friends and anyone else you meet, be your own judge when working out, don’t give up on improving your weaknesses and continue being part of our community. Remain curious, keep your eyes on your goals and most of all enjoy every minute of it.

Thank you to every single participant and our staff who worked live a beehive in high season.

A lot of our members made the wise decision by choosing the scaled division either because of the weights („technique first“) or because of the chest to bar pull ups. Nothing wrong with that! We all still have to learn and improve in many areas. Learning should never stop.

And the „Yeah- let’s get heavy!“-peeps celebrated the lifting love. Some 100- and 70-ish snatches were thrown around. Solid and strong work guys!

The all-over-CFBS-Top-Ten for 17.3:

The all-over-CFDowntown-Top-Ten for 17.3:

Top Three Women after 17.3:

Alessia Joy Wälchli, 141 reps, now 2nd in Switzerland and 28th in Europe!

After 17.1 everyone was glad to have survived the #dumbbellgate. We were curious about 17.2- what will appear? Pull ups, Handstand Push ups, Burpeeees….NO! Dumbbells again! Two of them! Combined with walking lunges (like last year 16.1) ! A logistical nightmare. Thank you, you evil „Hunchback“ .

You want to train all the disciplines of CrossFit and want to become a good athlete?

You’ve been doing sports for a good amount of years but took a long break?

You have trained on a professional sports level or are still doing it?

You practise a different sport but would like to add CrossFit to your current routine?

CrossFit is for everyone.

CrossFit Basel emphasizes that everyone can train at our gym – no matter what fitness level you are currently at.

That’s why we offer different levels in order for everyone to be able to participate and being challenged at their particular state of fitness.

Intro Class:

The Intro Class is the entrance to CrossFit, it’s free and offered to all interested in CrossFit and a membership at CrossFit Basel. We suggest that every new member absolves the Intro. In this class the coach will guide you through the background of CrossFit, the training and the method and how it all works here at our box. You will also absolve your first little training and catch the first glance into the amazing world of CrossFit.

CrossFit Beginners:

CrossFit Beginners is the ideal next step after the Intro. The programming is similar to the All Levels classes, the exercises are scaled where needed. Additionally, the class is smaller, means less participants which creates a slower and quieter pace.

CrossFit All Levels:

There is one class which you find the most in our schedule: The All Levels class. The class is divided in a Warm-Up, a Strength Part and at the end of every class the Workout of the Day (WOD) – like this, the class offers a compact, intense and efficient training. The programming of the All Levels class includes a strength part spread over three days with typically a Push-, a Pull – and a Lower Body exercise. The fourth day is Skill day where one particular skill is practiced, followed by a long workout. The programming follows the method of owner and headcoach Ramon Gysin, which obviously pays off, measured by the athletic successes of CrossFit Basel.

The majority of our athletes are able to absolve this class. There is no need to dominate specific skills or heavy weights – everything will be learned and improved. This class is to build up your strength, improve your skills and optimize your body awareness. Every 2,5 – 3 months your progress is tested in the ‚Benchmark Week‘. Different workouts and 3-4 strength exercises are tested during this week. This way you get an idea of your results and you can set new goals from there.

CrossFit Advanced:

CrossFit Advanced is the first advanced level. The class lasts 90 minutes and the intensity is clearly higher. The Advanced class requires a target of 100 classes, plus you need to master 90% of the skills. Part of the class is Olympic Weightlifting, which implies that you need to feel comfortable with the Snatch and Clean&Jerk.

CrossFit Competition Class:

CrossFit Competition Levels is for the cracks. The majority of these athletes train on a competitive level – which in lieu thereof is the intensity of this 2-hours CrossFit training. You can participate in this class when you master all the skills, practice olympic lifting regularly and be able to go all out in a 120minutes intense training.

The goal of this group is to build competition teams and individual athletes which participate in CrossFit competitions – first and foremost Reebok CrossFit Open and Regional Games – Powerlifting and Olympic Lifting competitions.

Wherever you are on your fitness journey momentarily – start now! We hope to see you soon on the training floor!

CrossFit Basel was founded in 2009 and has expanded its offer of classes ever since.

Starting off with about 10 CrossFit classes per week only, our gym slowly but steadily increased the frequency of the classes plus added specific trainings to support your progress in all parts of CrossFit.

Today, our schedule holds over 100 classes in both affiliates per week. There is hardly a time a day when you can not train – the last class ends shortly before bedtime at 9:30pm. We try to cover everyones needs and therefore created this huge variety of trainings. Additionally, we aim for success – having a large team of CrossFit competitors, a weightlifting club of which the major part of the lifters are part of the national squad and a Powerlifting team which is the strongest in Switzerland, we keep our training level high and strive to perfect our performances.

Good coaching makes happy and strong athletes and this is our number one priority.

CrossFit Levels:

Intro: Introduction into CrossFit training, the philosophy, the box, our system. The very first class for absolute newbies.

Beginners: The programming is very similar to the All Levels classes, yet the exercises are adapted to the capacity of the athletes. A great opportunity to get to know all the movements in a small group of maximum eight participants.

All Levels: All Levels is the classic. Broken down into a Warm-Up, Skill- and Strength Part plus the Workout of the Day (WOD) this class provides a full and efficient CrossFit Training in 60 minutes. The programming of the All Levels prescribes 3 days of a Push-, Pull- and Lower Body Strength Exercise plus on the 4th day Skill practicing and a longer WOD.

Advanced: 90minutes CrossFit on an advanced level including an intense Warm-Up, multiple workouts, olympic weightlifting and strength part. Open for athletes who master 90% of the skills and absolved at least 100 classes.

Competition: The Training for the Cracks. Open for competitors or competitors-to-be – Athletes must dominate all skills and being able to go all out for 120 minutes.

Specific Trainings:

WOD: Focus on Endurance and willpower. Multiple short or one long Workout lead you through a class full of strength endurance, cardio and efficiency.

Olympic Weightlifting: Olympic Weightlifting is a huge part of CrossFit and you will always be caught by Snatches and Clean&Jerks during workouts. Besides that, CrossFit Basel hosts the Weightlifting club of Basel and competes regularly during the Weightlifting season. With success – GHCBB (Gewichtheberclub beider Basel) is the most successful club in Switzerland. We work in cycles of either Snatch or Clean&Jerk with an intense focus on technique.

Gymnastics: Gymnastics skills with bodyweight only. You’ll be going through strength exercises at the rings and the rack, plus Gymnastics skills are taught built-on progressions.

Powerlifting: Cardio-free zone. Practicing strength in the three movements Back Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press. Improvement of technique and increasing maximum strength.

Mobility: In our Mobility classes, physio Lynn guides you through a variety of specific mobility exercises and stretches to improve your flexibility. Performing these exercises regularly will help you to train more efficiently and will support a better range of motion in your training.

Masters: The class for our 50+ CrossFitters! The program is the same as All Levels with scalings and adaptions according to the capacity of our Masters.

WOD Express: The Quickie for busy people. Early morning and during your lunchbreak we offer 40 minutes compact, intense and efficient CrossFit training at our second affiliate in the city, CrossFit Basel Downtown.

#THEMGAINZZZ: 75 minutes of Bodybuilding with Focus on Hypertrophy. Following the tracks of his holiness Arnie.

Personal Training: You can have a 1:1 Training with one of our coaches. The program will bespecifically customized to your needs, and based on the goals you want to achieve. Personal Training is open for anyone, there is no need to be a CFBS member.

Our members get the opportunity to talk to our coaches for a personal nutrition check and advice, and how to achieve your goals. Nutrition is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle and has a just as big impact on our training performance. We are here to help our athletes to eat to perform and to feel at their best. If you have specific questions regarding your training or your workout plan, we are here to help you with that too.

Our goal is to help our members staying fit, gaining strength and confidence in their capabilities and most importantly having fun training. Health for us means good and sustainable fitness lifelong, not only for a period of time. With this large choice of classes we believe to satisfy all needs and wants – and we are sure to be on the right track to forge the broad, general and inclusive fitness.

At last!! The Countdown is on – after six months of hard work, tons of sweat, dust and nightshifts, CrossFit Basel Downtown opens up its doors on April 15th 2015. We are looking forward to welcome you at our second affiliate and sweat with you!

Besides the All Levels and Intro Classes, CrossFit Basel Downtown offers WOD Express which take place during off peak times (early mornings, midday) and last only 40 minutes. WOD Express are ideal for members who have limited time available but still want to absolve a complete workout. Check our calendar and register via email at web@crossfitbasel.ch!

Naturally, we plan a party to celebrate this project with an OPENING PARTY and a great promotion for our new and also for our existing members. On the weekend of April 25th and 26th, we will celebrate the Opening officially and hope to see you all there! Following program is planned:

Intro Bring a Friend Classes:

Saturday, April 25 11:00 / 13:30 / 15:30

Sunday, April 26 11:00 / 14:00 / 16:00

Join the Intro classes and bring your friends! Do you know anyone who was always interested in CrossFit but was looking for a location in town? Or do they just want to experience the incomparable feeling that CrossFit gives you? Then we have them covered!

The classes will be 90 minutes. Please register via email at web@crossfitbasel.ch. During the Intro classes you will get to enjoy a classic CrossFit Basel Training starting with a Warm Up, continuing with a Strength Part and end it with an epic WOD. Aside from the practical part, you will get to know the philosophy behind CrossFit plus the goal of the Training Design.

Watch out – we have a promotion campaign! If you join us as a new member and sign a membership until the end of May 2015, you will get one additional month for free. If you are an already existing member and your friend signs a membership until the end of May 2015, you will get an additional month for free.

From 7pm on we will raise our glasses and enjoy some yummy appetizers to welcome the new box. During celebrating, you will get to see our best athletes showing off a WOD!